Your daily briefToday's most important news in one place

Prosecution seeks life sentence for 66-year-old defendant

The public prosecutor’s office is seeking a life sentence for a 66-year-old Dommeldange man accused of punching and then strangling his wife to death in September 2023.

According to his testimony, on the night of 29 September 2023 – one week after the confession – he attacked his wife without provocation upon her return home from a dinner. “I turn around and punch her right in the face... just like that...”, he explained, before recounting how he proceeded to strangle her with his bare hands.

However, investigative findings presented in court contradict this assertion. Police records indicate that the day before the murder, the defendant visited the woods to locate a site and purchased bags, gloves, and painter’s overalls from a hardware store, in case he, in his own words, “did something stupid”. During questioning, he claimed to have no memory of these statements. His defence lawyer, Lynn Frank, argued that purchasing these items did not in itself constitute proof of a premeditated plan.

Also today

• French lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time.
• More than 40 activists and residents gathered outside the US Embassy in Limpertsberg yesterday evening, to protest ICE, Donald Trump, and show support for Minnesota following the two recent murders of citizens.
• The European Union yesterday took a series of key decisions on energy policy, linking energy security more closely than ever to the EU’s ambition for greater strategic autonomy
• The EU has declared that Google must allow rival AI services equal access to its features and other search engine platforms access to data, while it added it would help the giant to comply with the rules for the next 6 months
• Germany’s government has unveiled major reforms today aimed at reducing the “bureaucratic jungle” of its welfare system, but insisted that benefits to those in need would not be rolled back.
• Police launched major operations in Limpertsberg and Bridel after a knife attack left one woman dead and another critically injured. One suspect was arrested, and authorities believe there could be others and urge the public not to offer lifts to anyone
• New survey data has shown that Consumer confidence in the United States has plunged to its lowest level since 2014, as American households continue to fret about inflation and elevated costs of living.

On air

It’s Algo-rhythm day and JB, at least, is very much looking forward to what Tom has up his sleeve to go with The Sundays!

Figure of the day

85 seconds to midnight

• This is the new time for the “Doomsday Clock”, a metaphorical clock set up by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the start of the cold war, which represents how near humanity is to catastrophe
• This time is closer than ever to midnight as concerns mount on nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation. The announcement comes a year into President Donald Trump’s second term, in which he has shattered norms -- ordering unilateral attacks abroad, deploying force at home in defiance of local authorities and withdrawing from a slew of international organizations.

Stay connected: tune in to RTL Today Radio, now on DAB+, and follow the latest news as it unfolds on our website.